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 - Rules of DeceptionI received this book very quickly and it was like new. Buying from Amazon has always been a great. Rating:  - Rules of Deception and Stealing TrinityI loved this fast paced spy thriller. Geopolitical stakes are sky high and today's technology is awesome. On the other hand, I just read a fantastic espionage thriller, "Stealing Trinity" by Ward Larsen, a World War Two spy story based on the Manhattan Project. Lower tech,as judged by today's standard, but unbelievable for that era. Both exhilerating reads. Rating:  - character over flowPremise is great, to many characters introduced throughout the book. If you like reading backwards to catch up its a decent read Rating: - Author Reviews on back coverI have seen CR's books in the library and bookstores before, but I have never read them--until this one. I read it because of the positive review by Lee Child on the back cover. I was not disappointed by the plot. It moved quickly and was an interesting read. Yes, at times I had to suspend by belief and try not to roll my eyes at some of the adjectives or other descriptors used to describe characters or places. This was the perfect book to read after a long weekend of mid-term grading. Rating:  - Too Far-Fetched and ComplexReich's books have all been believable and logical spending more time on character development than on complex plots; however Rules of Deception gets bogged down in complexity and complicated connections. The story involves competing United States clandestine counter-terrorism groups from the Dept. of Defense and the CIA. In the unlikely plot, they are both trying to frame Iran in different scenarios involving terrorism and nuclear weapons. One of these rogue, secret groups is trying to ignite WWIII by framing Iran in an attack. This US group is willing to kill hundreds of innocents to bring about its leaders perverted idea of Armageddon. In the midst of the above scenario that ranges across Europe, is Dr. Ransom and well-intentioned doctor. His wife apparently dies in a mountain accident and he learns that she was involved in a double life as a spy. The plot really goes off the deep edge when we learn that the master criminal is not the usual suspect of an Islamic Jihadist or terrorist state. No, it is an American Major General. The General seems like a genuine evangelical Christian who has changed his life since a near-death experience brought him to the light of Jesus. However, instead of inspiring him to lead a life of charity, his Christianity has somehow inspired him to kill millions of innocent people in starting a world war that he imagines will usher the return of Christ. I think Riech got his religions confused here as this is not typical of any Christians who otherwise lead lives according to Scripture for the most part. This character is unbelievable and non-sensical. It makes me wonder if Reich wanted to avoid offending muslims so he chose to offend Christians. The result is an undermining effect in the plot. There are some other mysteries in the novel but to reveal them would give away too much of the plot. Unfortunately, this is not up to the standard of Reich's previous books. I hope he can rebound with the next one.
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